Links for July 25, 2017: Cooking oil, Saving lives in New Jersey by raising the smoking age, and the cult of statin denial
Which cooking oil should you use?
In the above and linked infographic (from the outstanding work of informationisbeautiful.net), look for oils with a big green bar, a small red bar, and no blue at all. Here's olive oil, which is generally recognized as being one of the best oils health-wise for cooking:
This dovetails nicely with the recent re-discovery that coconut oil isn't great for you (link here; look toward the bottom).
I've become a big fan of sauteeing with avocado oil, which you see at the top of the graphic, because of its high smoke point and high monounsaturated fat content. Don't take this as an endorsement of its health effects, though. Almost no data exists on the topic.
New Jersey just raised its smoking age, and it will probably save lives.
"About 90 percent of adults who become daily smokers report first using cigarettes before 19 years of age, and almost 100 percent report first use before 26, according to the IOM report."
Is denial of the benefits of statin medications a cult?
"We are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of our patients to Web sites developed by people with little or no scientific expertise, who often pedal 'natural' or 'drug-free' remedies for elevated cholesterol levels."
Whether or not these websites collectively reach the threshold of "cult," their message definitely causes people to die younger than they should. (link is subscription only)